The present invention relates to an aircraft retrieval device and, more particularly, to an aircraft retrieval device that captures unmanned aerial vehicles.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), colloquially known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot on board. Its flight is controlled either autonomously by computers in the vehicle or under the remote control of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle. Most unmanned aircraft need a runway and landing gear to land. Some unmanned aerial vehicles are stopped by flying the aircraft into a stationary rope or net. However, such capture devices may be stressful for the aircraft and therefore may damage the aircraft.
As can be seen, there is a need for a retrieval device that absorbs the energy of an aircraft landing.